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Thread: I'm amazed

  1. #1
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    Oct 2017
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    Default I'm amazed

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    I've always read on here about crazy gains being made on a NLP and until I hopped on i figured someone who ran the program would add 50 lbs or so to there squat or deadlift and 20 or so to there bench, OHP and power clean but after being on the program for a little over a month and a half now i am amazed by the gains I'm making, before SS I did 2 years or so of "bro lifting" and was at 185BW struggling to squat 2 plates for a couple reps and earlier today I squatted 315 for 3 sets of 5 with a BW of just under 200lb YouTube
    I understand 315 isn't some crazy weight and there's millions of people who can squat it but I am still in disbelief of the progress this program allowed me to make. Why doesn't everybody do this?!?!😂😂

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jun 2014
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    UK
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    Two things that stand out to me:

    1) not willing to put on weight ("I just want to tone up / build some muscle and lose some fat")

    2) a lack of perspective. Looking through my early training logs shows me squatting 200-220lbs and I'm sure at the time I thought I was great and very strong. For the gym I used at the time it probably was an ok number (sadly). I think having exposure to a wider community that does train properly helps you put your lifts into a useful context and drives you to push on when you see what can be achieved.

    This also covers fear - some people are scared of injury (or other) from going heavy, having such weights normalised through the community helps take away the intimidation.

    Just my thoughts, I'm not a coach or particularly strong so take with a pinch of salt.

  3. #3
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    I'll give you my opinion on why everyone isn't doing it, nor will ever. It isn't mass marketed, sensationalized PC bullsh*t. It doesn't appeal to people's vanity, either. Weider mass marketed the bullsh*t to the masses, with A LOT of help from the very very clever Ahnold, which was basically his poster boy for a while.

    Mark narrowcasts the truth. He's not trying to mass market and doesn't even want to. His logic is there is only going to be a minority who this appeals to (as I understand it) which from what I've learned from the world, he's DEAD ON POINT about. So why waste time, money and energy casting pearls before swine?

    What you're beholding (as am I anytime I stumble on a true gem among all the rocks in the world) is the contrast between you and "everyone else". Be very thankful for it and don't let it go to your head. Be an example, people will notice and it will be a positive thing.

  4. #4
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    May 2015
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    1,263

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    There's not a general desire to be stronger and move increasingly heavier weight. Your average guy that goes to the gym just wants some veins in the arms and a six pack. Even some of the legitimately bigger bros are pathetically weak for their size yet feel comfortable with their egos because they can stack lots of weights on the leg press and shrug the big dumbbells. Generally speaking, people are convinced that you can't possibly look good without doing isolation exercises and, if isolation exercises make you look good, then more isolation must be better.

    If you want to inspire change in the Strength realm, then just keep putting plates on that barbell and making progress. People will notice and 1 or 2 of them might actually ask you about it at some point and there's your chance. I've been at a gym for a year and converted two 24 year olds (who have both since left me in the dust in terms of numbers) and I'm slowly converting another kid who I noticed was always eyeballing the SS crew and started imitating the lowbar squat and showing up with lifters, belt etc.
    lead the way by setting a standard: be strong, be nice, be approachable and people will take notice.

  5. #5
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    May 2010
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    Quote Originally Posted by Samuel_quinn View Post
    Why doesn't everybody do this?!?!����
    Summary: Machines are comforting. Squats are scary. Deadlifts are hard.

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by poser View Post
    be strong, be nice, be approachable and people will take notice.
    Yea that's basically what I tried to add after I posted "be an example" but don't see a way to edit. Oh well glad someone said it. lol

  7. #7
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    I mean I get why people don't want to do this. Not only is it hard, but it doesn't do much to their immediate concern which is typically just looks.

    People don't really care about the number they put on the bar. What makes most of us want to do this type of program is that we DO value strength. We don't just want to look strong, we want to be strong. Most of the novice gains are neurological gains. In other words, minimal muscle tone changes (unless you were on the high or low extreme of weight). Unless you personally like going to the gym, it's hard enough going when you are reaching your goal. But imagine going for a few months, lifting heavy ass shit and not looking any better. A skinny fat novice won't start having a good looking body till solidly in intermediate phase. After he completes his novice LP, then trains some more, then loses the extra fluff. A similar looking body could have been reached in the same time or less, with an easier plan that is less strength focuses (The hard and not as good feeling workouts). Thats why you see bros with big bodies and abs, but they have never squatted or deadlifted in their life. But they look like they actually lift, while many of us look like we haven't seen a weight in our lives when in a sweater.

  8. #8
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    Oct 2017
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    In investigating current trends and technique to be able to help my 12yo start learning lifting, I started SS 6 weeks ago and I love the program. I hadnt lifted anything seriously in almost 25 years after being very strong in HS/early college. I was in good cardio shape, but knew I was weaker than I could be, especially upper body. In the 6 weeks, I’ve gone from 150 to 260 on squat, 150-272 deadlift, 100-170 bench and 60-115 press.

    Most people (family/friends)I’ve interacted with kinda roll there eyes at me when I’ve talked about what I’m doing or see what I’m eating. I’m sure they think I’m having some midlife crisis trying to get back to glory days or something.

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by timelinex View Post
    I mean I get why people don't want to do this. Not only is it hard, but it doesn't do much to their immediate concern which is typically just looks.....Most of the novice gains are neurological gains. In other words, minimal muscle tone changes (unless you were on the high or low extreme of weight). Unless you personally like going to the gym, it's hard enough going when you are reaching your goal. But imagine going for a few months, lifting heavy ass shit and not looking any better. A skinny fat novice won't start having a good looking body till solidly in intermediate phase. After he completes his novice LP, then trains some more, then loses the extra fluff. A similar looking body could have been reached in the same time or less, with an easier plan that is less strength focuses (The hard and not as good feeling workouts). Thats why you see bros with big bodies and abs, but they have never squatted or deadlifted in their life. But they look like they actually lift, while many of us look like we haven't seen a weight in our lives when in a sweater.
    OK I must be living on a different planet, I must be an alien or I'd have to say everyone is apparently EXTREMELY different.

    I've only been doing this for a month and now am faced with buying almost all new clothes.

    And yes some of the size/weight gained is some puff around my waist, but not a lot. I carefully planned it that way because I know what it's like to be fat, and I know what causes it.

    I used to yo yo diet doing different programs. I have been everywhere from 145-215 lbs. I've done it natty and done it on roids. I've done it on SARMs. I've done peptides. I've done all the diets from NO carb (meat based/Paleo/Atkins et al) to HCLF (High Carb Low Fat) fruitarian (30 bananas a day et al). I know the difference between fat, water, and muscle fiber and I know the difference between glycogen loaded muscle (high carb diet) and depleted flat muscle fibers (low carbs/water).

    I haven't done any measurements or a lot of weighing (though I know I was 168 and now am 182) this last time around because frankly I'm just sick of doing it. I'm burned out on it. As long as what's in the mirror is all good, fine.

    So yea I've gained a little fat, I'm uptaking water due to creatine intake. But it wasn't going on 20 lbs worth and fat isn't hard when you flex it. It doesn't cause striations to pop out on your thighs, those are muscle fibers and THAT is what is causing me to have to buy new jeans now.

    So as far as not changing muscle mass with the shocking strength increases I've had, me, my clothes and everyone making comments and giving me looks must be imagining everything.

    Also, I'm talking about muscle fibers, because I didn't change my carb intake when I started SS last month and they were already loaded with glycogen/water.


    Maybe there are people out there that have NO change in appearance putting 100 lbs on their bench press, but I was NOT one of them. Maybe they only grow size and make progress doing isolation movements and TUT advanced techniques as novices, but apparently I wasn't one of them and this is the ONE program I wish I would have ran up on when I was 14 years old instead of Muscle and Fitness and my little Weider weights.

  10. #10
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    Oct 2017
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    starting strength coach development program
    Quote Originally Posted by David McClelland View Post
    OK I must be living on a different planet, I must be an alien or I'd have to say everyone is apparently EXTREMELY different.

    I've only been doing this for a month and now am faced with buying almost all new clothes.

    And yes some of the size/weight gained is some puff around my waist, but not a lot. I carefully planned it that way because I know what it's like to be fat, and I know what causes it.

    I used to yo yo diet doing different programs. I have been everywhere from 145-215 lbs. I've done it natty and done it on roids. I've done it on SARMs. I've done peptides. I've done all the diets from NO carb (meat based/Paleo/Atkins et al) to HCLF (High Carb Low Fat) fruitarian (30 bananas a day et al). I know the difference between fat, water, and muscle fiber and I know the difference between glycogen loaded muscle (high carb diet) and depleted flat muscle fibers (low carbs/water).

    I haven't done any measurements or a lot of weighing (though I know I was 168 and now am 182) this last time around because frankly I'm just sick of doing it. I'm burned out on it. As long as what's in the mirror is all good, fine.

    So yea I've gained a little fat, I'm uptaking water due to creatine intake. But it wasn't going on 20 lbs worth and fat isn't hard when you flex it. It doesn't cause striations to pop out on your thighs, those are muscle fibers and THAT is what is causing me to have to buy new jeans now.

    So as far as not changing muscle mass with the shocking strength increases I've had, me, my clothes and everyone making comments and giving me looks must be imagining everything.

    Also, I'm talking about muscle fibers, because I didn't change my carb intake when I started SS last month and they were already loaded with glycogen/water.


    Maybe there are people out there that have NO change in appearance putting 100 lbs on their bench press, but I was NOT one of them. Maybe they only grow size and make progress doing isolation movements and TUT advanced techniques as novices, but apparently I wasn't one of them and this is the ONE program I wish I would have ran up on when I was 14 years old instead of Muscle and Fitness and my little Weider weights.
    I feel ya on the needing new wardrobe part as far as muscle gain my upper body was relatively well developed (compared to my legs) before SS due to bro splits for the last 2 years but have Defiantly seen shoulder and
    Chest gains but 3x per week squats have blown my legs up I ripped the ass out of 2 different pairs of jeans that fit quite loose just a month ago

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